Le-La-La dancer Andy Everson, left, of the Kwakwaka'wakw looks at the Vince Lombardi Trophy after the transformational mask said to have inspired the Seahawks logo, right, is unveiled at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington. Photographed on Tuesday, November 18, 2014. less

Le-La-La dancer Andy Everson, left, of the Kwakwaka'wakw looks at the Vince Lombardi Trophy after the transformational mask said to have inspired the Seahawks logo, right, is unveiled at the Burke Museum at ... more

Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO / SEATTLEPI.COM

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Robin Wright, left, curator of Native American art at the Burke Museum, and Gretchen Faulkner, director of the Hudson Museum at the University of Maine, unveil the Kwakwaka'wakw mask said to have inspired the Seahawks logo at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington. Photographed on Tuesday, November 18, 2014. less

Robin Wright, left, curator of Native American art at the Burke Museum, and Gretchen Faulkner, director of the Hudson Museum at the University of Maine, unveil the Kwakwaka'wakw mask said to have inspired the ... more

Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO / SEATTLEPI.COM

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Kwakwaka'wakw dancer George Taylor holds a Seahawks logo rattle as the native mask said to have inspired the Seahawks logo is unveiled at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington. Photographed on Tuesday, November 18, 2014. less

Kwakwaka'wakw dancer George Taylor holds a Seahawks logo rattle as the native mask said to have inspired the Seahawks logo is unveiled at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington. Photographed on ... more

Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO / SEATTLEPI.COM

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Former Seahawks quarterback Jim Zorn speaks as former tight end Ron Howard, right, also participates in the unveiling of the mask said to have inspired the Seahawks logo, at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington. Photographed on Tuesday, November 18, 2014. less

Former Seahawks quarterback Jim Zorn speaks as former tight end Ron Howard, right, also participates in the unveiling of the mask said to have inspired the Seahawks logo, at the Burke Museum at the University ... more

Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO / SEATTLEPI.COM

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The Kwakwaka'wakw transformational mask said to have inspired the Seahawks logo is shown at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington. Photographed on Tuesday, November 18, 2014.

The Kwakwaka'wakw transformational mask said to have inspired the Seahawks logo is shown at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington. Photographed on Tuesday, November 18, 2014.

Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO / SEATTLEPI.COM

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Le-La-La dancer Andy Everson of the Kwakwaka'wakw dances after the transformational mask said to have inspired the Seahawks logo, right, is unveiled at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington. Photographed on Tuesday, November 18, 2014. less

Le-La-La dancer Andy Everson of the Kwakwaka'wakw dances after the transformational mask said to have inspired the Seahawks logo, right, is unveiled at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington. ... more

Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO / SEATTLEPI.COM

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Le-La-La dancer Andy Everson of the Kwakwaka'wakw watches as the transformational mask said to have inspired the Seahawks logo is unveiled at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington. Photographed on Tuesday, November 18, 2014. less

Le-La-La dancer Andy Everson of the Kwakwaka'wakw watches as the transformational mask said to have inspired the Seahawks logo is unveiled at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington. Photographed on ... more

Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO / SEATTLEPI.COM

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Le-La-La dancer George Taylor of the Kwakwaka'wakw participates in the unveiling of the mask said to have inspired the Seahawks logo, at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington. Photographed on Tuesday, November 18, 2014. less

Le-La-La dancer George Taylor of the Kwakwaka'wakw participates in the unveiling of the mask said to have inspired the Seahawks logo, at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington. Photographed on ... more

Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO / SEATTLEPI.COM

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Le-La-La dancers Andy Everson and George Taylor of the Kwakwaka'wakw stand next to the Vince Lombardi Trophy as the mask said to have inspired the Seahawks logo is unveiled at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington. Photographed on Tuesday, November 18, 2014. less

Le-La-La dancers Andy Everson and George Taylor of the Kwakwaka'wakw stand next to the Vince Lombardi Trophy as the mask said to have inspired the Seahawks logo is unveiled at the Burke Museum at the ... more

Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO / SEATTLEPI.COM

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Le-La-La dancer Andy Everson of the Kwakwaka'wakw dances after the transformational mask said to have inspired the Seahawks logo, right, is unveiled at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington. Photographed on Tuesday, November 18, 2014. less

Le-La-La dancer Andy Everson of the Kwakwaka'wakw dances after the transformational mask said to have inspired the Seahawks logo, right, is unveiled at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington. ... more

Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO / SEATTLEPI.COM

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Le-La-La dancers Andy Everson and George Taylor of the Kwakwaka'wakw get ready to help unveil the mask said to have inspired the Seahawks logo, at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington. Photographed on Tuesday, November 18, 2014. less

Le-La-La dancers Andy Everson and George Taylor of the Kwakwaka'wakw get ready to help unveil the mask said to have inspired the Seahawks logo, at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington. Photographed ... more

Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO / SEATTLEPI.COM

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Le-La-La dancer George Taylor of the Kwakwaka'wakw blesses the mask said to have inspired the Seahawks logo at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington. Photographed on Tuesday, November 18, 2014.

Le-La-La dancer George Taylor of the Kwakwaka'wakw blesses the mask said to have inspired the Seahawks logo at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington. Photographed on Tuesday, November 18, 2014.

Seattle Seahawks fans will soon have the chance to see the American-Indian mask that is thought to have inspired the NFL team’s distinctive logo. On loan from a museum in Maine, the Kwakwaka’wakw “transformation mask” is part of an exhibit that opens Saturday at the University of Washington’s Burke Museum.

In the Pacific Northwest it had been almost forgotten where the inspiration for the Seahawks logo came from. As Seahawks fever consumed Seattle during the run-up to the Super Bowl last year, Robin Wright, curator of Native American art at the Burke Museum, had students asking her if she knew the logo’s origin.

The students had found a blog post that mistakenly said the inspiration came from the Egyptian god Horus. But Wright, who has spent her career immersed in native art, knew that couldn’t be correct.

The Kwakwaka’wakw transformational mask said to have inspired the Seahawks logo is shown at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington. Photographed on Tuesday, November 18, 2014. (Joshua Trujillo, seattlepi.com)

She recalled a Seattle Post-Intelligencer article from 1975 about the new logo for Seattle’s fledgling NFL team, back when she was a graduate student working with Bill Holm. Now curator emeritus at the Burke Museum and one of the most knowledgeable experts in the field of native art, Holm took on the challenge when Wright asked for help earlier this year.

They found a familiar face in a book from the 1950s on native art — a mask that looked a lot like the Seahawks logo. But they had no idea where the mask might be found now.

Enter the Internet. A few days before Super Bowl XLVIII, Wright wrote a blog post on the Burke Museum’s website asking for help locating the mask. That’s when Gretchen Faulkner, director of the Hudson Museum at the University of Maine, contacted the Burke to say the mask was part of the Hudson’s permanent collection.

In September, the Burke launched an online fundraising campaign to bring the mask to Seattle. It didn’t take long to raise the money Wright and the Burke staff needed to conserve, insure and ship the mask across the country.

On Tuesday, the Burke unveiled the mask — on loan from the Hudson Museum — in an event for local media. The Burke’s new exhibit, “Here & Now: Native Artists Inspired,” runs from Nov. 22 to July 27, 2015, featuring contemporary works of Northwest native art along with the historic pieces that inspired them.

Here’s a little more about the Seahawks mask, as explained in a Burke Museum news release:

Scuffs and scratches on the mask show it was used in ceremonies before it was sold. … A dancer would enter the longhouse, hunched low with the mask on his back, firelight reflecting in the mask’s mirrored eyes. As the drum beat grew stronger, the dancer would spin rapidly, whipping open the mask to reveal the face inside. The face represents the eagle — or Thunderbird — coming to earth to take human form.

A tag in the mask dated 1910 includes a catalog number from the Fred Harvey Company, which operated hotels, restaurants and Indian marketplaces throughout the southwestern U.S. in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. The company’s collectors traveled throughout the Southwest, California and along the Colorado River buying art for the marketplaces. They also collected objects from Plains and Alaskan tribes, which offers a possible explanation for how the mask came to be part of the company collection.

“We knew it was made on Vancouver Island in the 19th century, but we didn’t know anything else until it came into the Max Ernst collection,” said Kathryn Bunn-Marcuse, assistant director of the Burke Museum’s Bill Holm Center for the Study of Northwest Native Art. Ernst lived in Sedona, Arizona, in the 1940s — suggesting an opportunity for his acquisition of the mask. “Now we are filling in the gaps in the mask’s history.”

Below are some photos of the mask after it was put on display in Maine, along with comparisons to the Seahawks’ 1976, 2002 and 2012 logo designs.

The mask is seen in the closed position, which closely resembles the original Seahawks logo.

The mask is seen in the closed position, which closely resembles the original Seahawks logo.

Photo: Courtesy photo / Hudson Museum

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This image from the Burke Museum compares the 1976 Seahawks logo to the Kwakwaka’wakw mask that is credited with inspiring the design.

This image from the Burke Museum compares the 1976 Seahawks logo to the Kwakwaka’wakw mask that is credited with inspiring the design.

Photo: Courtesy image / Burke Museum

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The mask is seen in the open position, revealing a human face behind an eagle-head shell.

The mask is seen in the open position, revealing a human face behind an eagle-head shell.

Photo: Courtesy photo / Hudson Museum

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The mask is seen from an angle while on display at the Hudson Museum at the University of Maine.

The mask is seen from an angle while on display at the Hudson Museum at the University of Maine.

Photo: Courtesy photo / Hudson Museum

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The mask is seen from an angle while on display at the Hudson Museum at the University of Maine.

The mask is seen from an angle while on display at the Hudson Museum at the University of Maine.

Photo: Courtesy photo / Hudson Museum

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The original Seahawks logo debuted along with the team in 1976. It was Seattle's primary logo for 26 years.

The original Seahawks logo debuted along with the team in 1976. It was Seattle's primary logo for 26 years.

Photo: Scott Halleran / Getty Images

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In 2002, the Seahawks overhauled the team's logo and uniform. The logo was streamlined and changed from blue-and-green to blue-and-lighter-blue, and the helmets switched from a silver background to a blue background. less

In 2002, the Seahawks overhauled the team's logo and uniform. The logo was streamlined and changed from blue-and-green to blue-and-lighter-blue, and the helmets switched from a silver background to a blue ... more

Photo: Diamond Images / Diamond Images/Getty Images

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Before the 2012 season, the Seahawks revealed a new makeover with drastic changes to the uniform. As part of the overhaul, the light blue section of the Seahawks logo changed to gray.

Before the 2012 season, the Seahawks revealed a new makeover with drastic changes to the uniform. As part of the overhaul, the light blue section of the Seahawks logo changed to gray.

In the Seahawks' inaugural season, 1976, the home uniforms consisted of a blue jersey and gray striped pants. Players wore their number on their sleeves, which had stripes but no Seahawks logo.

In the Seahawks' inaugural season, 1976, the home uniforms consisted of a blue jersey and gray striped pants. Players wore their number on their sleeves, which had stripes but no Seahawks logo.

Photo: Grant M. Haller / Seattle P-I file

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Here, the lack of a sleeve logo is visible again. The Seahawks also wore black shoes for the first few years.

Here, the lack of a sleeve logo is visible again. The Seahawks also wore black shoes for the first few years.

Photo: Grant M. Haller / Seattle P-I file

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For away games, the Seahawks wore white jerseys with their gray pants.

For away games, the Seahawks wore white jerseys with their gray pants.

Photo: Associated Press

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In 1981, the players switched to white shoes.

In 1981, the players switched to white shoes.

Photo: Grant M. Haller / Seattle P-I file

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The Seahawks uniforms got their first big makeover in 1983, with the addition of the Seahawks logo in the sleeve stripes.

The Seahawks uniforms got their first big makeover in 1983, with the addition of the Seahawks logo in the sleeve stripes.

Photo: Sherry Bockwinkel / Seattle P-I file

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The players' numbers also were moved to the shoulder.

The players' numbers also were moved to the shoulder.

Photo: Seattle P-I file

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The shoulder numbers can clearly be seen in this photo of the 1983 away uniform.

The shoulder numbers can clearly be seen in this photo of the 1983 away uniform.

Photo: Associated Press

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The original blue and green Seahawks logo is seen on a silver helmet. In 1983, the facemask also changed from gray to blue.

The original blue and green Seahawks logo is seen on a silver helmet. In 1983, the facemask also changed from gray to blue.

Photo: Getty Images

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In 1985, the Seahawks wore a special patch on their pants for the team's 10th anniversary. Here, Curt Warner is seen rushing against the Los Angeles Raiders in L.A.

In 1985, the Seahawks wore a special patch on their pants for the team's 10th anniversary. Here, Curt Warner is seen rushing against the Los Angeles Raiders in L.A.

Photo: George Rose / Getty Images

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Defensive back Kenny Easley is seen in the Seahawks' home uniform in 1985.

Defensive back Kenny Easley is seen in the Seahawks' home uniform in 1985.

Photo: Rick Stewart / Getty Images

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Brian Bosworth is seen during an away game in 1985.

Brian Bosworth is seen during an away game in 1985.

Photo: Mike Powell / Getty Images

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Another shot of "The Boz."

Another shot of "The Boz."

Photo: Mike Powell / Getty Images

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In 1991, the NFL shield showed up on the neck of the Seahawks jerseys.

In 1991, the NFL shield showed up on the neck of the Seahawks jerseys.

Photo: Ken Levine / Getty Images

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Through the next few years, the companies that produced the Seahawks' uniforms began placing their logos in different spots.

Through the next few years, the companies that produced the Seahawks' uniforms began placing their logos in different spots.

Photo: Ken Levine / Getty Images

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In 1994, all NFL teams added a shield commemorating the league's 75th anniversary, seen here on Chris Warren's chest.

In 1994, all NFL teams added a shield commemorating the league's 75th anniversary, seen here on Chris Warren's chest.

Photo: J.D. Cuban / Getty Images

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In 2000, the Seahawks wore their own patch to commemorate the team's 25th anniversary.

In 2000, the Seahawks wore their own patch to commemorate the team's 25th anniversary.

Photo: Getty Images

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Here, the patch is seen on the Seahawks' home uniform, as worn by quarterback Brock Huard.

Here, the patch is seen on the Seahawks' home uniform, as worn by quarterback Brock Huard.

Photo: Getty Images

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2001 was the last year the Seahawks used their original logo and colors. Here, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, right, is seen in the home uniform.

2001 was the last year the Seahawks used their original logo and colors. Here, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, right, is seen in the home uniform.

Photo: Getty Images

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Coinciding with the opening of Seahawks Stadium (now CenturyLink Field), the Seahawks logo and uniforms got a big face lift. Here is the new logo, which was redesigned to look more intimidating and uses a lighter "Seahawks blue" instead of green. less

Coinciding with the opening of Seahawks Stadium (now CenturyLink Field), the Seahawks logo and uniforms got a big face lift. Here is the new logo, which was redesigned to look more intimidating and uses a ... more

Photo: Al Bello / Getty Images

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The Seahawks' text logo also got a new look. And the helmets switched from silver to blue.

The Seahawks' text logo also got a new look. And the helmets switched from silver to blue.

Photo: Al Bello / Getty Images

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The Seahawks wore this get-up -- a blue jersey and white pants -- during their 2002 home preseason games.

The Seahawks wore this get-up -- a blue jersey and white pants -- during their 2002 home preseason games.

Photo: Otto Greule Jr. / Getty Images

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But they switched to the monochrome uniforms -- blue jerseys and blue pants -- for the regular-season home games.

But they switched to the monochrome uniforms -- blue jerseys and blue pants -- for the regular-season home games.

Photo: Otto Greule Jr. / Getty Images

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The new uniforms did away with the arm stripes, and added the Seahawks' text logo below the neckline.

The new uniforms did away with the arm stripes, and added the Seahawks' text logo below the neckline.

Photo: Otto Greule Jr. / Getty Images

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The new away uniforms were all white, as modeled here by quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.

The new away uniforms were all white, as modeled here by quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.

Photo: Stephen Dunn / Getty Images

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Here's a good look at the new logo and away uniform, complete with Reebok logo on the arm.

Here's a good look at the new logo and away uniform, complete with Reebok logo on the arm.

Photo: Christopher Ruppel / Getty Images

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The Seahawks also had an alternate away uniform with a white jersey and blue pants.

The Seahawks also had an alternate away uniform with a white jersey and blue pants.

Photo: Christopher Ruppel / Getty Images

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For their Super Bowl appearance in February 2006, the Seahawks added the Super Bowl XL logo to their uniform.

For their Super Bowl appearance in February 2006, the Seahawks added the Super Bowl XL logo to their uniform.

Photo: Harry How / Getty Images

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On Sept. 27, 2009, the Seahawks wore bright green home jerseys against the Chicago Bears.

On Sept. 27, 2009, the Seahawks wore bright green home jerseys against the Chicago Bears.

Photo: Otto Greule Jr. / Getty Images

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But Seattle lost, and the green jerseys haven't reappeared since. Seahawks fans were split on whether they liked the bright green, though most would likely say they despised it.

But Seattle lost, and the green jerseys haven't reappeared since. Seahawks fans were split on whether they liked the bright green, though most would likely say they despised it.

Photo: Otto Greule Jr. / Getty Images

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Twice during the 2009 season, the Seahawks wore darker blue pants with their home jerseys. Here, Matt Hasselbeck is seen on Dec. 20, 2009, during a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Twice during the 2009 season, the Seahawks wore darker blue pants with their home jerseys. Here, Matt Hasselbeck is seen on Dec. 20, 2009, during a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Photo: Otto Greule Jr. / Getty Images

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On April 3, 2012, Nike unveiled brand new uniforms for the Seahawks. While the entire NFL got updated unis as Nike took over for the whole league, Seattle got the biggest makeover. Here's Marshawn Lynch showing off the new blue home uniform. less

On April 3, 2012, Nike unveiled brand new uniforms for the Seahawks. While the entire NFL got updated unis as Nike took over for the whole league, Seattle got the biggest makeover. Here's Marshawn Lynch ... more

Photo: Seahawks image

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The new Seahawks helmet has a largely similar design, but features an updated Seahawks logo and a feather-textured stripe down the center.

The new Seahawks helmet has a largely similar design, but features an updated Seahawks logo and a feather-textured stripe down the center.

Photo: Seahawks image

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The new blue home uniform.

The new blue home uniform.

Photo: Seahawks image

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The new blue home uniform.

The new blue home uniform.

Photo: Seahawks image

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The new blue home uniform.

The new blue home uniform.

Photo: Seahawks image

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The bottom bar in the updated Seahawks logo is gray instead of light blue.

The bottom bar in the updated Seahawks logo is gray instead of light blue.

Photo: Seahawks image

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The new white away uniform.

The new white away uniform.

Photo: Seahawks image

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The new white away uniform.

The new white away uniform.

Photo: Seahawks image

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The new white away uniform.

The new white away uniform.

Photo: Seahawks image

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The feather stripe is more visible in this helmet close-up.

The feather stripe is more visible in this helmet close-up.

Photo: Seahawks image

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The new "wolf gray" alternate uniform.

The new "wolf gray" alternate uniform.

Photo: Seahawks image

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The new gray alternate uniform.

The new gray alternate uniform.

Photo: Seahawks image

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The new gray alternate uniform.

The new gray alternate uniform.

Photo: Seahawks image

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The Seahawks logo on the helmet connects at a point in the back.

The Seahawks logo on the helmet connects at a point in the back.

Photo: Seahawks image

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A blue jersey, white pants combination.

A blue jersey, white pants combination.

Photo: Seahawks image

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A blue jersey, gray pants combo.

A blue jersey, gray pants combo.

Photo: Seahawks image

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A white jersey, blue pants combo.

A white jersey, blue pants combo.

Photo: Seahawks image

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A white jersey, gray pants combo.

A white jersey, gray pants combo.

Photo: Seahawks image

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A gray jersey, blue pants combo.

A gray jersey, blue pants combo.

Photo: Seahawks image

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A gray jersey, white pants combo.

A gray jersey, white pants combo.

Photo: Seahawks image

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Nike's new gloves show the updated Seahawks logo, featuring a lower bar that is gray instead of light blue.

Nike's new gloves show the updated Seahawks logo, featuring a lower bar that is gray instead of light blue.